Podcast
FULL COMP: Restaurant Tactics, Tools, & Strategies
Hosted by Josh Kopel · EN
What if I told you that the difference between struggling and thriving in the restaurant industry is just one conversation away?
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur who’s spent decades building blockbuster brands across every tier of dining. I know the challenges you’re facing—because I’ve been there. That’s why I created FULL COMP.
Every week, I go one-on-one with the smartest minds in the game: restaurateurs, chefs, and industry insiders who’ve cracked the code. Together, we unpack their biggest wins, hardest lessons, and the strategies that changed everything.
No fluff, no filler—just actionable insights to help you boost profits, build your brand, and create the kind of restaurant you’ve always dreamed of.
So, if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start seeing results, hit subscribe.
64episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Leadership Extends Beyond Titles: Warren Rustand on Living With Purpose and Discipline
Apr 2400:38:04Tap to summarizeWarren Rustand is the most successful human I know. Warren is a basketball hall of famer, he's served US presidents, been the CEO of 10 companies and mentor to countless CEO's and, candidly, he's been an amazing father, husband and friend. Today, Warren will give you the tactics, tools and strategies he's used to live the life of his dreams.For more on Warren or to buy his book visit https://warrenrustand.com_________________________________________________________ Today’s episode is also brought to you by Table 22. Build predictable revenue outside your four walls with subscriptions, memberships, and product drops. Table 22 helps you design it and shows you the numbers before you commit. Try it free at table22.com. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Revenue Beyond the Dining Room: Sam Bernstein on Turning Superfans into Six Figures
Apr 2100:39:57Tap to summarizeWhat if the most valuable seats in your restaurant aren’t in your dining room, but in your database?Samuel Bernstein has spent the last five years proving that loyalty isn’t a punch card. It’s a revenue model. As the founder of Table 22, Sam has helped more than 1,000 operators launch subscriptions, memberships, and bundled offers that routinely generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in high-margin revenue.In this conversation, we get into why most “clubs” fail, how to design offers rooted in what guests actually care about, and how to pressure-test whether your concept has a five-figure upside or a six-figure one. We also break down his systems, marketing playbooks, and AI-powered insights that turn creativity into consistency.If you’re serious about building revenue you can forecast, and fund real growth with, this episode is your blueprint.To learn more about Table 22 and how they help restaurants build recurring revenue, visit table22.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Leadership Is Emotional Labor: Ellen Bennett on the Personal Cost of Growth
Apr 1700:31:02Tap to summarizeThe hardest part of ownership isn't owning the business, it's in owning the choices you've made and the impact they have on you and your team.Today, we chat with multi-million dollar culinary clothing maven, Ellen Bennett. Ellen wrote a book that's one part biography and one part action plan for aspiring entrepreneurs. In this conversation, we run though what the past 10 years has been like for Ellen, bringing to light the leadership lessons that have made her company so successful.You can pick up Ellen's new book Dreams First, Details Later at major retailers everywhere._________________________________________________________Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Burn It Down: Alan Roth on Quitting, Clarity, and Building It Better the Second Time
Apr 1400:35:28Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you do achieve your goals but, over time, those goals don’t matter anymore? Most of us just stay the path. Alan Roth didn’t. He walked away at the height of his career, shut it all down, and spent years figuring out what actually mattered.In this conversation, we get into the courage it takes to quit, what happens when you lose your identity as an operator, and how he found his way back to our industry with a completely different lens.If you’re questioning your path—or just running on fumes—this conversation hits where it counts.To learn more about his work with The Restaurant People and their growing portfolio of concepts, visit therestaurantpeople.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Question Everything You Were Taught: Andrew Dana on Rewriting the Rules of Hospitality
Apr 1000:26:57Tap to summarizeFor over a decade, I ran my restaurants the way I was taught to run other people's restaurants. I led my teams the way others had led me and I never questioned it. But what if you never got that education?Andrew Dana owns more than half a dozen successful restaurants and he began his journey as a restaurateur with absolutely no operational experience. He just did what he thought was right and followed his gut instincts. Today we go through how an industry outsider is challenging the way we look at our restaurants and our industry.For more information on Call Your Mother, visit https://www.callyourmotherdeli.com._________________________________________________________Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Ads Are Losing Power in Restaurants: Patrick Noone on Building a Content Engine Instead
Apr 700:39:46Tap to summarizeWhat if the real reason your restaurant marketing isn’t working has nothing to do with your ads?Patrick Noone thinks most brands are solving the wrong problem. As a marketing leader at Slim Chickens, he’s watched restaurants pour money into advertising, discounts, and promotions, only to discover they still can’t clearly explain who they are or why guests should care.In this conversation, Patrick breaks down the shift from advertising to content, why most restaurants fall into the discount trap when they lack real attribution, and how strong brand positioning becomes the foundation for every campaign that actually drives traffic.If your marketing feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall, this conversation will reset how you think about growth.To learn more about Slim Chickens and how the brand is expanding its global footprint while rethinking restaurant marketing, visit slimchickens.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Brand Clarity Wins Markets: Jeff Fenster on Turning Everbowl Into a Growth Machine
Apr 300:36:31Tap to summarizeDuring our time in this industry we’ve watched countless healthy restaurant concepts go under. But today’s guest, Jeff Fenster, seems to have finally figured it out. His concept, Everbowl, has scaled massively over the last few years despite an economic downturn and a global pandemic. We sit down to discuss the strategy he used to become massively successful in a vertical that seemed destined for failure.For more information on Everbowl, visit https://www.everbowl.com/._________________________________________________________Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Stop Guessing: Vince Wang on Turning Influencer Content into a Measurable Growth Engine
Mar 3100:38:46Tap to summarizeWhat if the most powerful marketing channel in restaurants isn’t ads, email, or social media, but the people already influencing where your guests eat?Vince Wang believes that’s exactly the case.As the force behind Mustard, Vince is applying the discipline of performance marketing to one of the most chaotic channels in hospitality: influencer marketing.In this conversation, we get into why influencer marketing may be the most underpriced performance channel in the industry, why micro-creators often outperform celebrity influencers, and how data—real data—can turn content into predictable growth.If you’re tired of marketing that feels like guesswork, this conversation shows what happens when you start measuring what actually works.To learn more about Mustard and how they’re turning influencer marketing into a measurable performance channel for restaurants, visit mustard.love._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Restaurants Are the Launchpad: Anthony Mangieri on Bridging Hospitality and Grocery
Mar 2700:40:07Tap to summarizeIt feels like it would be glamorous to be a pioneer of a new cuisine in a new city but rarely does that translate into success. It’s hard enough to sell something someone has heard of before. Today we sit down with the exception to the rule. Chef Anthony Mangieri is almost singularly responsible for the introduction of neapolitan pizza to New York. He’s built a reputation for himself while building awareness for his greatest passion. We discuss, what it took to inform the market, the evolution from chef to restaurateur, and the path from that restaurant to the local grocer’s freezer section. For more information on the chef and his concepts, visit https://unapizza.com/._________________________________________________________Today’s episode was brought to you by Loop AI. If you want better visibility and control over your delivery business while protecting your margins, find out how Loop AI can help at loopai.com.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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The Experience Economy Is Back: John Tilley on Betting Big on Dining Rooms in a Delivery-First World
Mar 2400:34:24Tap to summarizeWhat if the future of restaurants isn’t smaller, faster, and cheaper—but louder, warmer, and more human?While everyone else is shrinking footprints and racing to the bottom on price, John Tilley is rebuilding the pizza parlor.In this conversation, we unpack why he believes the future of restaurants isn’t frictionless, it’s emotional. He shares how nostalgia became strategy, why discounting is a death spiral, and what it really means to act like an owner instead of a manager with equity.If you’re wondering how to compete in a louder, leaner market, this episode is a masterclass in zigging while everyone else zags.To learn more about Shakey’s and see how they’re reimagining the classic pizza parlor experience, visit shakeys.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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